"We are Dirt"

We as humans view nature in many ways. Some believe it has spiritual meaning, and others don't care about it at all. Many people specifically view dirt in special ways too. For instance, in New Mexico people regularly go to mud baths because they feel that dirt has healing powers. The cleanse themselves with the mud, which sounds impossible, but it's more spiritual than actually having to do with hygiene. Many religious groups see the dirt as part of us because we are nature. Also, some people say that eventually, we will literally become dirt because when we die, we will be buried and eventually our bodies will decompose and become part of the ground.

Dirt gets affected by climate change in many ways. One way is drought. When temperatures in a certain area become increasingly hot, the ground literally dries up and can't be used to produce agriculture. Another way is through pesticides. When farmers use pesticides on their farms to kill harmful insects, only ten percent of the sprayed liquid had an effect on the plants. The rest of the nitrogen would go into the Mississippi River, down into the Gulf of Mexico, where it suffocates all the fish, creating a dead zone, where only jellyfish can thrive. Then the nitrogen mixes with the oxygen and creates nitrous oxide, which floats up to the atmosphere and quickens the pace of climate change.

One way people are taking action to solve the problem is planting trees. Many people in minority neighborhoods are getting kids off the streets by getting them to plant trees. Also, in jails people are planting gardens in their recreational areas. Mostly women take part in this activity, but everyone comes out with optimism for their future when they are free. Many then decide to get green jobs when they are released from jail. That also helps our environment in the long run.

Research

-http://www.aids.org/factSheets/101-What-is-AIDS.html
-http://www.globalissues.org/article/90/aids-in-africa#TheImpactofAIDSinAfrica

Ideas for Exit Project 1

A. I chose to research the topic Conflicts in Africa. I chose this topic because I've always known that there have been government issues there, but I never knew what those issues really were. I thought it would be interesting to learn about it.

B.
-from the year 2000-2007, there have been more than 9 million refugees and displaced people
-Since the fighting started in 1998, about 5.4 million people have perished
-47 percent of the death toll is children
-about 45,000 people die every month in Congo
-in Sierre Leone, 25 times as many people have been killed than in Kosovo
-The UN thinks that a fourth of the kids fighting for the Sierre Leone government forces are under the age of 18
-in Rwanda, thousands of people were killed because they didn't agree with the killing campaign
-In Africa, AIDS kills people more than conflicts do
-Some governments spend more money on military than on social developments
-Senegal has done the best with curing AIDS in Africa

C. I can definitely see this becoming my exit project topic because there are many problems within the main problem so it allows me to dig deeper into what's going on.

D. My question is, Why haven't other countries tried to stop the genocides like they did during Hitler's reign?

What is Social Justice?

What is Social Justice?

A fantasy, a fairytale

We seek harmony and fairness,

But can it really exist?

We want equat distributions of social value,

But is it possible to have equal freedom, income and wealth?

Ho do we create an ideal society like this?

How can we destroy discrimination and create equality?

Many believe this will neve come true

What do you believe?

Global Questions-#1

1. I am most excited about researching my topic, especially if it's interesting.

2. My biggest fear is not being able to find enough information to write about. I could have a good argument, but not enough information to support it. It's going to be really hard making sure that I have something with a good amount of info and history so I can write all ten pages.

3. I hope to learn how to do real research and how to write and prove long essays. In high school (and college) I know that there are going to be lots of papers to write that are ten pages or even more. I think this project is going to prepare me for those harder projects in the future.

4. My advice to myself is to not procrastinate because it would be horrible doing this whole project in one short time. Also, I would tell myself to go into full detail about my topic so I have a sufficient amount of information to fill up all ten pages.